1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to apparatus for holding and dispensing paper. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a dispenser for holding and dispensing sheets of paper from paper rolled on a tubular core.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Paper towels are widely used today in homes as well as in businesses. Such towels are typically rolled on a tubular core and perforated so that single sheets may be torn from the roll as needed. There are many types of towel dispensers, particularly for use in kitchens and bathrooms. In the simplest designs, the paper towel is supported from a base member attached to the wall from which a pair of support arms project with inwardly directed cylindrical hubs thereon. The arms are spread slightly apart so that the hubs may engage the ends of the tubular core. Paper may then be pulled from the paper roll. However, this usually requires two hands, one to hold the paper roll and the other to tear a sheet therefrom. If one of the hands is occupied or covered with food, as frequently occurs in the kitchen, pulling on the roll of paper with one hand may result in dispensing of too many sheets of paper and waste.
There are a number of other holder designs, examples of such may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,973,354; 4,483,491; 5,899,407 and 6,267,322. While each of these designs is an improvement over the simple support described above, most of them still require two-handed operation. If not, they have relatively complicated mechanisms for doing so.
There are similar dispensers for toilet paper. U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,429 is an example of a dispenser especially designed for toilet paper. Similar operational problems are associated therewith.
The present invention is a dispenser for holding and disposing sheets of paper from paper rolled on a tubular core. Although it is primarily designed for dispensing sheets of paper from paper towels, it can also be used for toilet tissue or the dispensing of sheets of paper of any kind of paper which is rolled onto a tubular core. The dispenser of the present invention provides a base member by which it may be attached to a wall, first and second rigid support arms at each end of the base member and a spindle member insertable through the tubular core on which paper is rolled, the spindle member being supported at opposite ends by the support arms. Each of the support arms provides an inclined opening extending upwardly from the base, when the base is mounted on a vertical wall, and the opposite ends of the spindle member are receivable in corresponding inclined openings of each of the support arms. This allows the spindle and rolled paper thereon to move, by gravity, against the base member, frictionally preventing accidental or excessive dispersing but permitting selected sheets of paper to be dispensed therefrom.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support arms are formed by unshaped wire members each of which defines, between opposing upward and lower legs thereof, the inclined opening provided by the support arms. The spindle member is cylindrical and provided, at each end thereof, with a circular groove which is engageable with a corresponding lower leg of one of the unshaped support arms to guide the spindle and the rolled paper within the inclined opening. The rolled paper moves, by gravity, against the base member and enough friction is provided against the roll of paper to prevent excessive unrolling but to allow tearing of sheets therefrom, even with one hand.